1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcasting method and a broadcast system for broadcasting a signal from a broadcasting station etc. for reception and viewing at the home etc., more particularly relates to a data transmission method and a data transmission system enabling the receiving end to combine the received signal with a signal from a game equipment or another signal processor, an information processing method and an information processing system for processing information in a desired manner using such a setup, a data transmitter used for such a system, a signal processor serving as home end terminal apparatus of such a system, and a content data processing method and a data serving method applied to such a system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a television game systems have rapidly become popular. Their performance has also become very high. For example, there are now even television game systems provided with 64-bit or 128-bit high speed processors as the signal processors, provided with DVD drives as the storage systems, and provided with a special processors for high speed graphics. Such high performance game systems enable more realistic video and audio output and more complicated signal processing and therefore enable more interesting and fun games.
Further, advances in communication technologies have made possible diverse types of broadcasting systems. In Japan, for example, in addition to the usual ground wave broadcasts, there are now several satellite broadcast systems and cable television systems. Further, satellite digital broadcasts and ground wave digital broadcasts will soon be offered. These new systems not only make possible improved quality of video and audio signals, but also the broadcasting of various information in addition to the main audio and video signals. Further, two-way systems enabling individual homes to communicate with the broadcasting station in response to the broadcasted programs etc. are being realized.
Summarizing the disadvantages to be solved by the invention, even in such recent television game systems and television broadcasting systems, there are several disadvantages which have to be resolved in order to enable more effective and more convenient use. Further improvement is therefore desired.
First, usual television games are played by running software off of different media. Various situations and scenes are successively generated. Even in complicated games, however, there is a limit to the situations, scenes, etc. Once the player experiences the series of situations and scenes and watches the video etc., he or she then ends up rapidly losing interest, that is, becomes bored. This characteristic of television games is the same no matter how high the performance the television game system becomes. This is one of the main disadvantages with television game systems.
Further, software for television games takes a long time to develop. Therefore, it is difficult to incorporate the latest news, fashions, etc. such as obtained from television broadcasts. Namely, it is very difficult to provide timely contents closely related to the real world.
Further, some television game software become very popular and sell millions of copies. Also, some purchasers play them over the television monitor for relatively long hours. Accordingly, this makes them very attractive as advertisement media. Up until now, however, there have been few examples of effective usage as advertisement media. The reason for this seems to be that, as mentioned above, television game software is not updated daily or weekly like the programs of television broadcasts, newspapers, or magazines, but takes a long time to develop making it difficult to place timely advertisements in it. Further, game software tends strongly to be considered as an integral work of art. The creators of these games are therefore said to be averse to the placement of advertisements in their game software.
On the other hand, programs of television broadcasts lack the interactivity and unpredictability taken for granted in television games, so lacks interestingness.
The same can be said for the advertisements as well. Each viewer is simply shown the same advertisement every time. Namely, there are no commercials enabling the viewer to select information of interest from among several options or unpredictably changing the information given every time. Further, present television broadcasts do not enable interested viewers to obtain more detailed information or to actually order product catalogs or the products themselves.
Further, the same television monitor is used for both watching television broadcasts and playing television games. Up until now, however, this has been done by switching the mode of the television monitor. In other words, the television broadcasts and the television games have formed completely separate systems. There has never been a system which combines these to provide some sort of service or new sound or picture.
As a system resembling this, there is the television broadcasting system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-27649. In this system, the viewer operates the game system or the like to create content for a program and transmits the same to the broadcasting station. The broadcasting station then creates a program for actual broadcasting based on the transmitted content and broadcasts it. This enables the creation of new types of programs such as viewer participation programs and programs showing games being played with the participation of a plurality of viewers.
In this system, however, the content viewed by the viewer is in the final analysis created by the broadcasting station. The system is therefore no different from conventional broadcasting systems. Namely, it is not a system that combines content obtained by television broadcasting and content obtained from television game systems in some form for use at the home.
Further, this system cannot be realized without an uplink line to the broadcasting station.